The Kingdom of Wessel

Once, when the Old Lands flourished, Wessel was the warrior kingdom that defended the northern edge of civilization against the incursions of the Wildlands. The wealthy lords of Donnland, not wishing to garrison the Darklands themselves, sent coffers of gold and shipments of arms to help Wessel build the mighty forts and keeps of the Darklands. The people of Wessel are proud of this martial tradition to this day, although the history has slipped into obscurity for most. Today, Wessel is a peaceful farming kingdom, supported mainly by the immense bounty of The Fertile Valley. They trade with their neighbors to an extent, but generally grow and raise the vast majority of what they need. Anchored by the capital city Wesseltoth in the north and the port city Herber in the southwest, the kingdom is, in fact, in a slow decline that has lasted a century.

Technological Level

Wessel lags behind its neighbors technologically. Something akin to 12th-century England.

Foreign Relations

Wesselians like to tell people that they're not afraid of the Donnlanders, but they are. Donnland has become rich and mighty while Wessel has stagnated. That's one reason they cling to their traditional status as "Defenders of the Darklands," hoping that Donnland still sees them as useful... The Kingdom of Thran is more like Wessel than Donnland is, although it's considerably richer, more cultured, and more technologically advanced due to its bustling sea trade. Thran still takes the whole "Defenders of the Darklands" thing seriously, as they are constitutionally averse to anything that might disrupt their mercantilism.

parvum autem ferox

Demonym

Wesselian

Head of State

Queen Agata of Wessel

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Traditional

Currency

Gold (crowns), silver (florins) and copper (pennys and half-pennies).

Legislative Body

Queen Agata maintains a privy council, made up of her key ministers, as well as a few powerful nobles and heads of august bodies like the Mage's College or the Merchant's Guild.

Official Languages